An exclusive festive event took place at Bury Lane Farm Shop today (Thursday, December 1) as shoppers could visit reindeer, in an event organised by the Countryside Restoration Trust.

Local schools were invited to the event, which aimed to educate on the wellbeing of the Cairngorm breed of reindeer. Children were taught about the living environments of these creatures and how they survive in the wild.

A spokesperson for CRTUK said: “With many reindeer being kept in unsuitable conditions throughout the year, we believe that the Cairngorm Reindeer should be celebrated as the only free ranging herd of Reindeer in the UK and we would like to focus on educating visitors on the importance of this, especially during the festive season”.

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This event follows the controversial reindeer display at Scotsdales Garden Centre, which created a storm on social media due to allegations that the animals weren’t being kept in suitable living conditions. Managers at the garden centre responded by stating that the animals had plenty of room in their living space and were being “well looked after”.

The living conditions of the reindeer at the Bury Lane event paid respect to their way of life, with activities only running during hours when they would normally be active.

For more information about events taking place at Bury Lane Farm Shop this Christmas, including food tasting, visit burylanefarmshop.co.uk/christmas.